Struggling to achieve your goals in life? Have you tried treating life as if it were a video game?
This post was inspired by Nerd Fitness and their "Level Up Your Life" book and blogs.
Determine what your Max Level Looks Like:
Let’s set level 50 is our max level. In any MMO there is a max level that you can reach and when you reach it you are usually given access to zones previously locked to you.
Before we start the game of life we need to decide what your level 50 is. It doesn’t have to be something crazy like world peace or to become a towering tech billionaire (though it can if you want it to be). The best thing to choose for your level 50 is something that you can easily visualise so that you can easily plot a path towards it.
My level 50
Fitness:
• Be in the best shape I’ve been since being a teenager
• Be able to run a half marathon at the drop of a hat but also be able to back squat double my body weight
• Be flexible enough to perform most Olympic lifts and some gymnastic movements.
Work/Home:
• Be self-employed or at least in control of my working hours. Using my skills in communication and video/audio editing.
• Be making a positive impact on the world and able to inspire large amounts of people to live life to the full.
• Work enough hours to feel fulfilled but save a large amount of the week for my wife and kids.
Plot your path to Max Level:
Video games, especially RPG’s, are so addictive due to the levelling mechanic. “I just need one more quest and I can reach the next level.” “Just one more crafted item and I’ll have enough money to buy that new gear.”
Your progress is documented by the game. You can see exactly where you’ve been and where you are going. You know roughly what it will take to reach the next level and the level after that. You have a good idea of what rewards you will get along the way and even if you don’t you know there will be some pretty epic loot that will make you even more of a badass.
Once we have decided on our level 50 we can go about organizing our life so we know if we are heading in the right or wrong direction. Are we taking quests that move us closer to our max level aim or further away?
One of my max level aims is to be self-employed or in control of my work hours. There are hundreds of small steps between now and that max level and so they can be broken down in to smaller quests.
I am currently writing a book of my own that I will also record as an audiobook (Look out for the first chapter on Steemit soon). My current daily quest is to write a few paragraphs of this book and also record a short story audiobook for @chronocrypto as often as possible to improve my reading skills and voice range.
This can work for any max level goal you have. If your goal is fitness orientated, set yourself the daily quest of 10 pushups, 20 sittups and 30 squats. If you want to get rid of some of your debt, set a quest to travel to the local bank and set up a savings account.
Life as a newbie:
Most MMO’s start in a similar vein. You spawn into the world wearing basic clothing and limited weapons. You have no idea where you are and you run around trying to find the first quest you can. Usually this first quest involves something along the lines of “go and gather 10 bear asses.” It usually sucks but it’s the start of the game so you settle in for the grind of the first few levels. Everyone has to do it. You know that if you do complete it you will be that bit closer to level 2 and once you start to level up, bigger and better quests will come your way.
Life is no different. It doesn’t matter at what point you decide to start playing the game. You could be 100kg overweight or 20,000 in debt, this is where the game has started. If we want to win this game we have to start with the bear arses. Go out and collect them, menial though it may seem.
We can swap “collect 10 bear asses” for:
• Write a blog post
• Record a YouTube Video
• Put together a CV
You can also create daily achievements:
• Walk for 10 minutes or more
• Save at least $1
• These don’t sound like fun quests but neither does kill 15 forest crabs.
Reward yourself with better gear:
One of the most addictive parts of any MMO is that, as you level up, you gain access to or are rewarded with new and better gear. This better armour and weapons will help you in the coming levels to fight bigger and tougher mobs or defend against higher level players.
Rewarding your progress is vital to winning the game of life. These rewards aren’t about cheat days or frivolous spending. The rewards for hitting new level or completing a big quest should be something that will help you on your journey to max level.
• Lost that first 5kg? Get yourself some new gym gear.
• Saved up $100, enrol yourself in a stocks and shares training course
• Got that promotion at work. Buy a new desk that will better organise your documents and allows you to sit with better posture.
These are just examples so think of your own level rewards but make sure that they go towards making your character bigger and more badass and help you reach the next level in the game of life.
There are some important points to bear in mind when starting out in the game of life:
Don’t complain about your starting zone:
The first thing to remember about turning life into a video game is that it is very similar to hitting randomise when creating a new MMO character. You have no control over what attributes you have or what skills you will be proficient at. You are dealt a character and that is the one you are taking to max level. Yes you may have been dealt a goofy looking orc but that’s how this game is played. All the more glory for you later on.
Encountering elite players:
After you get a few levels you start to venture out of the starting area to find bigger and better quests. This can involve slaying bigger, more dangerous mobs or delivering important messages. At this stage in any MMO there is the chance of coming across a high level player. It can instantly fill you with jealousy for their epic gear and crazy amount of gold. They may have an epic mount or frighteningly deadly weapon. It is important at this stage to not succumb to a sense of pointlessness and doubt. Use their success as inspiration for your own. If they can do it so can I!
Perhaps you are still huffing and puffing on the treadmill, are still wearing old hand me down clothes or only have 10 bucks to your name. Don’t get downhearted. You could stand there and blame your bad genetics or bad luck but just remember your character was randomly generated. That is how we have decided to play this game. You don’t know where this legendary player started they may have had to put hours and hours into crafting the gear and earning the gold they have. You are still only at level 2 but you can already see level 3 and its easy sailing to 5 from there.
Pick on somebody your own size:
Have you ever jumped into a new MMO and found yourself in a high level zone without realising it. Very quickly a hard core mob turns up and turns your newbie character into digital goo. We can do this in the MMO of life too. If your goal is to get more fit don’t set out to run a half marathon on your first few runs. Start with the small quests and work up. By taking quests that are level appropriate you will level faster and get to a stage where you can take on that level 70 wear beast before you know it.
Don’t just kill crabs for the hell of it:
You have set you max level goal and hopefully have an idea of the levels between that will guide you to your goal. Don’t stay in the starting zone relentlessly killing level 1 crabs. You completed that quest 10 times now and have levelled up. Yeh it was great the first few times and felt like you were getting somewhere but we have moved onto bigger and better things. Those early level quests allowed you to move from level 1 to level 2 but once you reach level 10 these simple quests won’t give you enough XP to progress any further. If you have a quest, know what it is and why you are doing it. Make sure that quest is progressing you towards your level 50 and not keeping you in the same place.